Mountainland Head Start, Inc.
Job Description
POSITION: Dual Language Education Coordinator STATUS: Exempt ****
PERFORMANCE
REPORTS TO: Education & Child ****
SOURCE: Management Staff
Development Services Director
SALARY GRADE: 27
Position is 234 working days and 12 paid Holidays; a typical work week is
Monday - Friday with an expectation of a minimum of 40 hours per week.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The primary focus of this position is to serve as the agency’s dual language
resource and to support the agency in its efforts to include teaching
practices which focus on both English language acquisition and the continued
development of the home language for dual language learners (DLL). Provides
support and supervision in the Education service area to ensure teachers
deliver comprehensive education services to all Head Start children, including
those with Individualized Education Plan’s (IEP), behavioral support or health
plans and English language learners, helping them develop socially,
intellectually, physically, and emotionally in a developmentally appropriate
manner toward the overall goal of social competence and school readiness, as
outlined in the Head Start Performance Standards, the 2007 Improving Head
Start for School Readiness Act and Mountainland Head Start, Inc.’s policies
and procedures and ensures services support the agency’s school readiness
plan. Functionally supervises Child Development Specialists and Instructional
Coaches.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Serves as the agency’s DLL primary resource and has direct
responsibility for the following and/or to coordinate with the Education and
Child Development Director to ensure qualified bilingual staff, contractor, or
consultant.
· Assess language skills in English and in the child’s home language,
to assess both the child’s progress in the home language and in English
language acquisition.
· Conduct screenings and assessments for domains other than language
skills in the language or languages that best capture the child’s development
and skills in the specific domain.
· Ensure those conducting the screening or assessment know and
understand the child’s language and culture and have sufficient skill level in
the child’s home language to accurately administer the screening or assessment
and to record and understand the child’s responses, interactions, and
communications.
· Ensure the program uses an interpreter in conjunction with a
qualified staff person to conduct screenings and assessments if screenings and
assessments are not able to be conducted in the child’s home language.
· If there is not a qualified bilingual staff person or interpreter,
and then screenings and assessments are conducted in English. In these cases,
assures the program also gathers and uses other information, including
structured observations over time and information gathered in a child’s home
language from the family, for use in evaluating the child’s development and
progress.
- Has primary and direct responsibility to serve as the DLL agency resource and/or assist the Education and Child Development Director in identifying and establishing community partnerships to ensure translator resources are available in providing second language curriculum implementation along with assessment documentation for DLL children.
· This includes providing training to those identified to work in the
classroom to support children’s continued development of the home language.
· Coordinates with Education and Child Development Director, Education
Coordinators, CDS, Instructional Coaches and the Classroom Quality Monitor and
Mentor to ensure teaching practices support the continued development of the
home language including development in English Language acquisition.
· Ensures the program recognizes bilingualism and biliteracy as
strengths and implements research-based teaching practices that support their
development.
· If staff do not speak the home language of all children in the
learning environment, include steps to support the development of the home
language for dual language learners such as having culturally and
linguistically appropriate materials available and other evidence-based
strategies.
· Works in partnership with the Community Outreach and Volunteer
Coordinator to identify volunteers who speak children’s home language/s who
could be trained to work in the classroom to support children’s continued
development of the home language.
3. Coordinates with the Executive Director, Education and Child
Development Services Director, Child Development Specialists, Instructional
Coaches and the Classroom Quality Monitor and Mentor and other agency
coordinators in implementing the goals and objectives of the education and
child development service area:
· Develops Mountainland Head Start, Inc.'s child development,
education, and training plans and services for children, parents and staff.
· Reports all service area activities, accomplishments, problems, etc.
on a regular basis.
· Ensures all education and child development Performance Standards
are being met.
· Assist the service area Director in monitoring educational expenses
to ensure the child development service area operates within the allotted
budget.
4. Ensures that the curriculum addresses key elements of school readiness
and aligns with the revised Head Start Performance Standards, Early Learning
Outcomes Framework, and state early learning standards.
5. Coordinates with the Education and Child Development Services
Director, Instructional Coaches, Classroom Quality Monitor and Mentor and
Child Development Specialists in training, coaching, mentoring, supporting and
supervising the center teaching staff:
· Oversees the CLASS observations of center teaching staff as
assigned.
· Maintains complete written reports of observations and
recommendations.
· Supports teachers in their efforts to individualize instruction for
children with IEP’s and behavioral support or health plans and meet the needs
of English language learners.
· Ensures all Head Start policies and procedures are being implemented
by the center teaching staff.
6. Assists the Education service area in obtaining and recording a
complete developmental, educational and mental health history of each Head
Start child in coordination with the other Head Start service area
coordinators:
· Ensures comprehensive, accurate, and confidential education records
on all children are maintained.
· Ensures appropriate transition services are provided as required by
Head Start Performance Standards. Assists teachers in making contact with area
elementary schools through the curriculum extender activities.
· Coordinates with local school districts to offer transition
training.
7. Oversees the administration of the developmental screenings and
assessment of all Head Start children:
· Completes all screenings within 45 calendar days of when child first
attends the program and assesses at periodic intervals, when needed.
· Provides necessary training for the screenings to be administered.
· Ensures that the required tests are included in the developmental
screening.
· Reports and interpret all screening results to parents and
appropriate staff.
· Oversees the developmental assessment of children and tracking of
children’s educational outcomes to help the teaching staff individualize
instruction, including the assessments in the child’s home language when
applicable.
· Ensures on-going monitoring, tracking, follow-up and analysis of
screening and assessment outcomes for children including ELL children.
8. Coordinates with the Education and Child Development Services
Director, Instructional Coaches, and the Classroom Quality Monitor and Mentor,
Child Development Specialists and other service area coordinators in providing
technical assistance and an organized child development training program for
children, parents and staff:
· Provides training resources and mentoring to interested staff and
parents.
· Suggests education resources for use by Head Start children and
families.
· Coordinates the planning and implementing of home education
activities for children, parents, and staff.
· Implements efficient operating procedures of library and other
check-out educational resources.
· Contributes to the monthly parent and staff newsletters, as
assigned.
· Plans, prepares and provides training for staff during monthly in-
service workshops.
9. Supports and assists Child Development Specialists, Instructional
Coaches, and the Classroom Quality Monitor and Mentor in monitoring the
operations of the center to ensure efficient, safe and developmentally
appropriate education of Head Start children on a daily basis:
· Participates in the hiring of center teaching staff, as requested,
ensuring teaching staff hired posses the credentials required by the 2007
Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act.
· Monitor s curriculum and teaching techniques to ensure that the most
appropriate activities are used to meet the needs of each child. Ensure
teachers are planning and implementing learning experiences which advance the
intellectual and physical development of children, including improving the
readiness of children for school by developing their literacy, phonemic, and
print awareness, their understanding and use of language, their understanding
and use of increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their appreciation of
books, their understanding of early math and early science, their problem-
solving abilities, and their approaches to learning.
· Assists teachers in establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy
learning environment, and using positive guidance techniques.
· Ensures teachers are supporting the social and emotional development
of children and encouraging the involvement of the families of the children
in the program and supporting the development of relationships between
children and their families.
· Inventories, purchases and distributes center supplies as approved
by service area Director.
· Establishes a working list of trained classroom substitutes for
emergency use.
· Maintains required records and documentation, i.e. center
inventories, curriculum extender trip requests, IEP records, activity plans,
etc.
· Ensures the involvement of parents in the curriculum and classroom
activities.
· Ensures active supervision of children is maintained at all times.
10. Coordinates with the Executive Director, Administration and Human
Resources Director, Education and Child Development Services Director,
Instructional Coaches, Classroom Quality Monitor and Mentor and Child
Development Specialists to ensure the agency is providing professional
development opportunities to teachers.
· Ensures that the professional development attended is of high-
quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a
positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction and the teacher’s
performance in the classroom.
· Assists HR with tracking the required 15 hours of professional
development classes each program year.
· Regularly evaluates the program for effectiveness.
· Ensure all back-up documentation is filed in teachers HR file.
11. Works collaboratively with the Facilities and Transportation Manager to
develop emergency procedures at sites and ensure safe environments for
children.
12. Attends not less than 15 hours of professional development per year.
Chooses professional development that is of high-quality, sustained,
intensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting
impact on classroom instruction and the performance in the classroom.
13. Demonstrates understanding of child abuse/neglect laws. Reports suspected
child abuse to the Family and Community Services Director. Attends child abuse
training.
14. Collaborates with other service areas to ensure seamless services to
children and families and ensures we are staying true to our mission and
vision. Attends and participates in staff and parent training sessions, as
directed, i.e. pre-service, orientations, in-service training meetings and
other agency activities as required.
15. Supports the achievement of in-kind goals by actively participating in
the solicitation of in-kind services and donations to the Head Start program
including, but not limited to, encouraging community members and
organizational contacts to volunteer, provide donations of professional
services, supplies, and anything else needed to support the Head Start
program.
16. Expected to provide temporary assistance in the classrooms to meet
minimum child to staff ratios, or to ensure the safety of children, in the
absence of sufficient Education and Child Development Service Area staff.
Staff from any service area working or present at a center when the need
arises will be called upon first, with Administrative Office staff being
utilized if insufficient staff is present on site.
17. Expected to assist the agency in maintaining safe and healthy
environments for children and staff by immediately reporting health and safety
risks/concerns or potential concerns to a leadership staff member and/or via
our internal work order system and follow up with appropriate staff in not
addressed in a timely or appropriate manner.
18. Other job-related duties as assigned may be necessary to carry out the
responsibilities of this position.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Must be bi-lingual in English/Spanish. ****
· Must have a BA or advanced degree in Early Childhood Education or
Child Development or a baccalaureate or advanced degree and equivalent
coursework in early childhood education with early education teaching
experience.
· Must have experience supervising in an early childhood education
program.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
· Extensive knowledge of child development and developmentally
appropriate teaching practices.
· Maintain interrater reliability in Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG)
and CLASS certification.
· Demonstrated ability to organize, direct and coordinate operations
in personnel supervision, communications, and budget management.
· Experienced working with other cultures.
· Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
· Ability to manage multiple tasks and to develop solutions to
problems with limited supervision.
· Ability to write and speak the English language in a proficient and
professional manner to meet requirements of the job.
· Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
with staff, subordinates, community groups, and other related agencies and
people.